Dubai bans baby mats after reports of fatalities

Dubai bans baby mats with barriers to prevent a baby from rolling, over fears that they could allow infants to suffocate.

Dubai has banned baby mats with barriers that prevent a baby from rolling over, for fear they could cause infants to suffocate.

Dubai Municipality said the mats, called baby sleep positioners, should not be used by anyone.

It follows reports in the US that 12 infants, between the ages of one to four months, suffocated to death while using the mats during the past 13 years.

Dozens of additional nonfatal cases of babies being found in potentially dangerous positions within or near the sleep positioners were also reported. As a result, the mats were withdrawn and recalled in the US last week.

No cases of injury or death have been reported in Dubai.

"We're taking a precautionary measure by implementing the ban on them here," said Redha Salman, the municipality's head of public health and safety.

Baby product retailers Mothercare and Mamas and Papas do not sell sleep positioners, while Baby Shop was out of stock.

Since the 1980s, the US Food and Drug Administration has approved almost 20 brands of sleep positioners as an aide in digestion and to prevent the flattening of one side of the skull. However the mats are no longer commonly sold.

They are often marketed as a way to reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) by keeping infants on their backs.

The FDA has said it is unaware of any scientific studies demonstrating that the mats prevent SIDS.

"To date, there is no scientifically sound evidence that infant sleep positioners prevent SIDS," said Dr Joshua Sharfstein, the FDA's principal deputy commissioner and a paediatrician.

US parents are warned never to put pillows, sleep positioners or quilts in a baby's cot. According to paediatricians, babies should be placed on their backs while sleeping.

"Placing babies on their tummies was then thought to be a major cause of SIDS, as some babies were prone and suffocated, so babies are now encouraged to lie on their backs," said Dr Denis Hardy, a paediatrician at the Manchester Clinic in Dubai.

The municipality will sent letters this week and has formed a team of inspectors to inform retailers and nurseries of the recall.  

"This isn't about fining stores, it's about just knowing, so we're trying to spread the information," said Mr Salman.